CSCST's PE Culminating Activity

CEBU, Philippines - As the Physical Education 122 students of the Cebu State College of Science and Technology Main Campus performed onstage at the Kasadya Gym last Friday, this writer wondered how much effort everyone (students and faculty) must have exerted to come up with such a successful cultural dance presentation albeit the fact that all performers, coming from all 40 PE sections, were all dance novices.

 The objective of the event was not to look for the best performers within the campus but to inculcate the drive and interest of appreciating and loving Filipino culture through the medium of dance as this has been a depreciating value, a trend that if not attended to and corrected, will contribute to a natural apathy and eventual death. The second objective was to harness the skill of many undiscovered talents and third, was in compliance to the requirements of PE to stage a culminating activity wherein students will learn through actual experience rather than having them watch a performance by a certain dance troupe.

On that same Friday afternoon, prior to the stage presentation, the school’s big oval was filled with performers who participated in a street dance competition inspired by the many festivals of Cebu dancing to the beat of the “Pasigarbo sa Sugbo” jingle. This was a major breakthrough! Street dancing, or its internationally accepted term “processional parade,” has its humble beginnings in Cebu with the popular Sinulog, which started in the Municipality of Carmen in the early ‘70s.

The PE Culminating Activity dubbed “Balik Tan-aw sa mga Sayaw Selebrasyon” (Looking Back at Celebrative Dances) was spearheaded by PE and Sports coordinator Professor Rosalinda Racaza with Dr. Elizabeth Requilme, Mr. Jesus Longinos, Mr. Marino Garcia, Professor Elmer Orquina and this writer and supported by the College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Edwin Pilapil and Humanities chairperson Professor Simeon Bernados and the administration.

Congratulations, everyone!